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How do I present Jesus to other?  This is a difficult question because my own biases obstruct my view. I am inclined to exaggerate how well I do this while glossing over or completely ignoring the parts of myself where Christ may be…less obvious.

Having said that, 51 years of being a practicing Roman Catholic have shown me many stellar examples of people who embody Christ in a way that makes me want to know more about where that comes from. Some of these people have been lifelong churchgoers, while many would probably not step inside a church if you paid them. I have also seen many stellar examples of well-meaning people who embody Christ in a way that could put me off religion altogether.

Author Gerald Darring poses these questions: 

“Do we present Jesus to others on such a pedestal that people can dismiss his example as unreasonable expectation, or is he “like his brothers in every way,” one of us, a brother human whose love of justice and peace can and should be imitated? Is the Jesus we present to others an indictment of them, or is he God’s “saving deed displayed for all the peoples to see,” the Messiah who rescues us from our personal and social sinfulness?”

So I guess the question I need to ask of myself is “Do I present Jesus of the gospels, or do I present Jesus in a way that aligns with my world view and casts me in a positive light?” I thought about this for awhile, and I realized that my worldview has been shaped and formed by my Catholic faith.

Personally, all I can say is that I am working on. I would like to embody a Jesus who was a friend to those on the margins of society. Not in a “there, there, let me help you, you poor depraved thing,” kind of way but in a way that places each of us on equal footing as God’s creation. I think it would be difficult to embody Christ if I considered myself superior to those around me. 

A good example of a friend to the marginalized was Mother Teresa. Our Monday @ The Movies film discussion group recently watched The Letters: The Untold Story of Mother Teresa, which chronicled the establishment of the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. Against everyone’s advice, Mother Teresa left her cloister for the streets of Calcutta where she taught children to read and cared for the sick and dying. She did it because she believed that is where God was leading her. What might surprise many people is that for the last 50 years of her life, Mother Teresa felt abandoned by God but continued with her ministry in the midst of profound spiritual darkness. But there she was in all her humility and humanity, somehow still presenting Jesus to the world.

Author Madeleine l’Engle put it like this:

“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”

So whether or not I succeed, L’Engle describes the Jesus I wish to present. Maybe everyone will not see him, but the people who need to will.

~Trevor Droesbeck